Robert C. McLeod

We anticipate being completed this summer. The original project was supposed to be lights on during 2016, and that is still the plan. Of the approximate 1,200-kilometre volume, 733 kilometres have been completed up to the end of the 2015 building season, so we still have plenty of time to have the remaining line laid before June 2016.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll use my Deputy Premier voice.

---Laughter

We're not totally opposed to this motion. Just a couple things. The motion, as I read it here, is basically something that the government already does in working with communities. I noticed that there was a motion passed in 2013 from the NWT Association of Communities. We've given the communities a lot of responsibility, and they've taken on that responsibility with the construction of a lot of their infrastructure in their communities to make sure it's energy efficient and all that, but I look forward to having further...

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, a one per cent reduction in small business rate is equivalent to about $700,000 in revenue in the total GNWT, as I've been saying the last little while, that is used to fund programs and services are projected to decline over the next five years. The reduction itself would only impact a small number of businesses in the NWT, and this reduction would not cause anyone to start a small business. The number of small businesses operating in the NWT has been declining over the last few years due to various factors impacting our regional economies, for example down in...

As I said before, we anticipate being completed during the 2016 building season and they have had some challenges on the terrain, but I think that the contractors are more than equipped to deal with it. If there are any foreseen circumstances or if there is some delay of any kind, then I will be sure to let the Members of this Assembly know.

The announcement that was made a few days ago freezing the salaries for all managers, excluded employees, and deputy ministers, I think the total was about 844 people. What we are doing is freezing the grids, so there is still an opportunity for them to progress through the grids that they're in right now, up to about, my understanding is, 2.5 per cent a year. If they haven't reached the top of their grid, there's still opportunity there for them. The grids are frozen, though.

The $4.5 million special warrant allowed the GNWT to take the necessary action to transfer responsibility for the closure and the reclamation of the Cantung Mine to the Government of Canada. Both Cantung and Prairie Creek are legacy sites that were not regulated under the modern regulatory and approval systems that we have in place today, and furthermore, they were managed by another level of government with a different level of risk tolerance than the GNWT. In the case of both Cantung and Prairie Creek, the GNWT has protection from liability through the Devolution Agreement. We can't change...

A significant body of work was completed by Queen's University which provided the building blocks for the development of guidelines. There are draft guidelines currently under internal review and discussion, and we need to take into account the distribution of decision-making authorities in the NWT between resource management boards and various GNWT and federal departments. It will be incumbent on us to get these guidelines right so that they are accepted, endorsed, and found to be practical and useful by all parties. They must be grounded in operational realities and reflective of the GNWT's...

Absolutely. I see this as a great opportunity for a knowledge-based economy in Inuvik and I think there's plenty of opportunities there. I will work with all the appropriate departments to see if we can come up with plans and options for our young people, because as we all know, our young people nowadays are very tech savvy and they will be able to contribute a lot, and this might be something that would interest a lot of them. I will commit to working with my colleagues to see what we can advance.

Mr. Speaker, because of Inuvik's geographically-gifted location there's a great deal of interest in satellite stations in Inuvik. I had the opportunity to speak to a number of those folks that want to put satellite receiving stations there. It's obviously very high-tech field. I have spoken to the gentleman that was doing the consulting for the GNWT and I had asked him to give us some of the skill sets that may be required for working on the facilities once they're completed, and he was going to get that information back to me, but I see a great opportunity to work with Aurora College to...

Right now, we are doing some work on our land use sustainability. If there are lands that are identified outside city limits and it suits the purpose or it’s for the purpose, then I would assume that they would put in an application. Again, I will have to confirm the actual process, and share it with the Members and committee, the actual process that they would have to go through, the conditions they might have to meet. I will commit to the Member and all Members that I will confirm all that information. I will be pleased to share it with them.